Automattic, owner of WordPress.com and a major developer of the WordPress software, has sued two parties for abusing the notice-and-takedown provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and seeks damages under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f). Automattic’s decision to go after parties that use fraudulent copyright takedown notices could mark a shift in how content hosts handle DMCA takedown requests.

Towards Trans-Atlantic Interoperability: Scientific Research and Privacy Under the EU Data Protection Regulation

Written by: Natalie Kim
Edited by: Alex Shank

The EU is currently drafting a General Data Protection Regulation, thought to be among the toughest data protection laws in existence. This comment address the growing interoperability problem between U.S. and EU data protection law and ways of mitigating it, like reducing third-party liability loopholes, strengthened de-identification techniques and enhanced data tracking measures.

Samsung launched a mobile app that allowed users to download Jay-Z’s new album before the album was released worldwide. Before users could obtain the album, they were required to grant the app permission to modify or delete content stored on the phone, to access to the phone’s precise location, and to read the phone’s status and identity. These requirements were met with a substantial amount of backlash.

FTC Commissioner Julie Brill announced the “Reclaim Your Name” initiative. The proposed program would make data brokers — businesses that collect consumer data for sale to other businesses — accountable to consumers. Consumers would be able to access personally identifiable information that data brokers hold online through a single user-friendly online portal and regain control over their data.

On Monday, the Supreme Court held that the “litigation exception” of the Driver Privacy Protection Act (“DPPA”) did not apply to attorney solicitation of clients, vacating a decision of the 4th Circuit. On remand, the lower court must determine whether Spears’ communications were sent with “the predominant purpose of solicitation.”